PRESTIGE INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH, INDORE

(An Autonomous Institution Established in 1994, Accredited with Grade ‘A++’ NAAC (UGC) ISO 9001:
2008 Certified Institute, AICTE / UGC Approved Programs affiliated to DAVV, Indore)

BATCH 2021-2023
MAJOR RESEARCH PROJECT -SYNOPSIS
Topic – “MARKETING STRATEGY OF NIKE”

FACULTY MENTOR SUBMITED BY

Name – DR. MURLIDHAR PANGA Name - SARTHAK TINGURIYA
Sign - MBA (IB) SEM-IV SEC- A
1121414301

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2
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that AMAN YADAV student of MBA 3rd semester

specializing in Finance & Marketing has undertaken a major research
project entitled "MARKETING STRATEGIES OF NIKE" under my
guidance & supervision for the partial fulfillment of requirement of the
degree MBA (Full Time) of Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore for year
2021-2023.

Dr. Umang Mehta Dr. Tarun Kushwaha

MRP Guide Principal,

A.I.T.R Indore M.P.

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 DECLARATION

I, AMAN YADAV, hereby declare that the major research

projectwork which is beingpresented in the report entitled “MARKETING
STRATEGIES OF NIKE” is an original work done byme & is submitted
to the Devi Ahilya Vishwa Vidyalaya, Indore in partialfulfillment of
requirement for the award of Master of BusinessAdministration.

I further declare that no material of this report has been copied

fromany source & this report has not been submitted to any other
University orinstitution for the award of any degree, diploma or certificate.
The materialsobtained (& used) from other sources have been duly
acknowledged in theproject.

Place:Indore AMAN YADAV

Date:

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 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I am grateful to my MRP guide Dr. Umang Mehta, Acropolis Instituteof

Technology & Research Indore for his precious guidance throughout
mymajor research project. He has devoted his valuable time & motivated
me atevery step towards completing this project. The study would not have
beenpossible without hisgenerousmotivation.

I am deeply indebted to Dr. Tarun Kushwaha, Principal, Acropolis

Institute ofTechnology & Research Indore for his continuous support &
blessings. Hissupport has renderedme greathelp towardsthis project.

I also express my sincere gratitude to my family members, friends

&respondents for their extended support throughout the project. Finally, I
amthankful to all those who have directly or indirectly contributed to this
project.

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 CHAPTERS CONTENTS PAGE No.

Declaration by the Candidate/Student

Certificate of the Supervisor/Guide

Acknowledgement
Chapter 1 Introduction
Overview of the Topic
Rationale of the Study

Chapter - 2 Review of Literature

Chapter - 3 Research Methodology

Objective of the Study
Research Design
Data
Scope

Chapter - 4 Data Analysis and Interpretation

Findings and Limitations

Chapter - 5
Marketing Strategies followed by Nike
Chapter – 6

Suggestions and Conclusions

Chapter - 7
Problems in the Company
Suggestions for the Company
Conclusion
Limitation of the Study

Chapter - 8
References

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 INTRODUCTION
● Nike, Inc. is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development,
manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories,
and services. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, in the Portland
metropolitan area. It is the world's largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and a major
manufacturer of sports equipment, with revenue in excess of US$37.4 billion in its fiscal year
2020 (ending May 31, 2020). As of 2020, it employed 76,700 people worldwide.In 2020 the
brand alone was valued in excess of $32 billion, making it the most valuable brand among sports
businesses.

● The company was founded on January 25, 1964, as "Blue Ribbon

Sports", by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight, and o cially became Nike, Inc. on May 30, 1971.
The company takes its name from Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. Nike markets its products
under its own brand, as well as Nike Golf, Nike Pro, Nike+, Air Jordan, Nike Blazers, Air Force
1, Nike Dunk, Air Max, Foamposite, Nike Skateboarding, Nike CR7, and subsidiaries including
Jordan Brand and Converse.

Rationale of the study:

Our study focuses on the marketing strategies that Nike has opted.
● It mainly focuses on understanding the target audience.
● This study will let us know how Nike targets the various communities, specially the sports
community.
● How it benefits its target market and focuses on providing luxury and comfort

Objectives of the study :

● To understand the marketing strategies of NIKE.

● Consumer behavior towards different products.

● Analyzing the factors behind the success of NIKE products.

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 REVIEW OF LITERATURE

● For every business uniqueness is important to distinguish themselves from their competitors.
This is important because when a brand is unique, people associate themselves with the brand.
Therefore it allows them to value your brand (Heaston, 2002). Awareness about the brand
comes through different range of ideas, advertising, word of mouth, company portfolio,
personal experience with that particular brand, and many more (Armstrong and Kotler, 2004).
Nowadays, the trend is to follow and adapt something that sounds cool and looks cool, even if
its meaningless to the audience (Pesce 2002) Strong brand image pulls a customer to buy the
company‘s product, even if they are paying more (Sims 2001) and success of a brand depends
on how well a brands image and meaning is maintained over long term (Michell, King and
Reast, 2001)

● Companies must manage their brands by creating awareness so the brand‘s positioning must be
continuously communicated to the consumers. Positioning is how you want to be perceived in
the marketplace, and branding is a further modification of that positioning (Moran, 2008)

● Marketing Mix:
● Product: According to Jobber (2006), ‗Product decision‘ is the type of service or product that
should be offered. If a company has a strong brand image customers will buy company‘s
product even if they have to pay more for it (Sims, 2001). Product prototype should be sampled
before launching their products like Nike. As (Lury 2001) states that managing the product is
therefore vital to a brand‘s success. For a company to succeed it needs to improve its services,
revise its market position, and its image besides managing it.
● Promotion: Promotion covers the communication areas which include, sales promotion,
advertisement, public relations, internet marketing etc (Sims, 2001). These help enhance the
awareness of the products benefits among the consumers. All of the communication areas
mentioned have their own strengths and weaknesses (Jobber, 2006).

● People: People can turn out to be a great asset or a great weakness for businesses. The impact of
variables highlighted as attached in appendix during market research help in critically analyzing
the market research factors and opting for best tools of pricing of Niche products. Lury 2001,
mentions that brand interaction is important with customers to create awareness of the brand.
Likewise, for a company to overcome its weaknesses the targeted audience (people) plays a
pivotal role and helps a company, like Nike to shift from a bracket of threats to opportunities.

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 Timely understanding and market research of a company‘s weaknesses will prove helpful in
overcoming the threats and shift towards opportunities in short and long run.

● Place: Place is like a key of branding strategy, because if customers do not have a guide as to
where to find the product how will they buy the brand (Lury 2001). Businesses have to Target
their audience and then set up their shops according to the demand of their products. Nike has
been promoting its products globally and has targeted every country according to their market
demand. Customers expect that a company delivers them high quality products in the shortest
time available.
Access is improved through multi-site locations (like McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut), where
customers don't have to wait for long for their product delivery. Nike synchronises supply in
almost every major country in Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa and productivity problems
are solved through its Multisite chains.

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 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The following methodologies are used in the study:
Research Design: A research design is the set of methods and procedures used in collecting and
analyzing measures of the variables specified in the research problem. Research design is the framework
that has been created to find answers to research questions

Type of Research: Descriptive research includes surveys and fact finding enquiries of different kinds.
The main characteristic of this method is that the researcher has no control over the variables; he can
only report what has happened or what is happening.

Source of Data: There are basically two sources of data Primary and Secondary.
● Primary data: The Primary data are those which are collected afresh for the first time for
the problem solution and thus happen to be in original character. It may be collected from
individuals, families, and representatives.
For the present study primary data is collected through questionnaires and answered by
consumers of shoes.

● Secondary data: This is pre-collected data and can be obtained either from external sources
such as trade associations, government, journals, websites, etc. or from within the company.
In the present study for the company information, we used secondary data like brochures,
websites of the company and previous reports on the company.

Sampling plan:

Sampling Unit: The Sample unit of the report is 100 Respondents of different age group, different gender
and different profession.
Sample Size: The sample size of the report is 100.

Study Area: The Project Report on consumer perception towards Nike products is conducted in
the area of Indore.

Sampling Technique: We have used a convenience sampling method for the present report.

Tools for Analysis: Analysis has been done using percentage analysis, piecharts and tables.

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 Scope of the study
The project report begins with a brief overview of the product category being dealt with, namely premium
quality shoes. It also dwells briefly on the history of the company and its current position and activities.
The project moves on to the crux of the matter- the marketing plan to be followed by Nike in India.
Firstly, the objectives behind this plan and the core strategy are started. After starting the objectives and
reasoning behind them, the actual marketing programs are described in detail. This includes aspects such
as pricing, advertising, promotion, sales, channels, and the company website. Suggestions are made on
each and every one of these aspects; improvement and innovation are recommended. The project report
then goes on to the customer analysis section. The customer base is identified and various criteria and
factors have been taken into consideration while segmenting the market. We have also tried to ascertain
why a customer buys these products, how they chose, and what factors matter most when making their
decision.
The last few pages of this marketing research project deal with the various ways in which the
recommendations, once implemented, can be monitored and controlled.

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 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
Q. Gender wise classification of Respondents?

Gender No. of Respondents Percentage

Male 64 64%

Female 36 36%

Total 100 100%

Inference:
64% Respondents were male and 36% Respondents were female.

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Q.Age wise classification of Respondents.

Age No. of Respondents Percentage

15-25 70 70%

25-35 27 27%

35-45 2 2%

45+ 1 1%

Total 100 100%

Inference:

70% Respondents were from the age group of 15-25 years. 27% Respondents
were of the age group of 25-35 years. 2% Responded from the age group of
3545 years. 1% Respondents were above 45 years of age.

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Q. Are you brand conscious of footwear?

Opinion No. of Respondents Percentage

Yes 85 85%

No 15 15%

Total 100 100%

Inference:

85% Respondents said that they are brand conscious of footwear. 15%
Respondents said that they are not brand conscious of footwear.

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Q. If you are going to buy a pair of sports shoes, which brand
would you like to choose?

Brand No. of Respondents Percentage

Nike 48 48%

Adidas 31 31%

Puma 13 13%

Reebok 4 4%

Others 4 4%

Total 100 100%

Inference:

When the Respondents were asked about their preference, 48%

said that they prefer Nike, 31% preferred Adidas, 13% preferred
Puma, 4% preferred Reebok and 4% preferred other footwear
brands.

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Q. Which is the Most important element when you select footwear?

Imp. Elements
No. of Respondents Percentage

Brand 67 67 %

Quality 86 86%

Price 51 51%

Packaging 9 9%

Comfort 74 74%

Personality 20 20%

Other 1 1%

Inference:

The deciding factors for buying shoes for the Respondents are mainly brand,
quality, price and comfort, whereas, packaging and personality do not
matter to Respondents.

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Q.Are you brand loyal to any brand below in terms of footwear in
the footwear industry?

Brand No. of Respondents Percentage

Nike 46 46%

Adidas 29 29%

Puma 13 13%

Reebok 4 4%

Others 8 8%

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 Total 100 100%

Inference:

When Respondents were asked about their brand loyalty, 46% said they are
loyal to Nike, 29% are loyal to Adidas, 13% are loyal to Puma, 4% are loyal to
Reebok and 8% are loyal to other brands.

Q.What are the main factors if you switched to buy the footwear of
another brand?

Factors No. of Respondents Percentage

Quality 68 68%

Price 17 17%

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 Advertisement 3 3%

Innovation 12 12%

Total 100 100%

Inference:

When Respondents were asked about the reasons for switching brands, 68% said
they switched for quality, 17% said they switched for prices, 3% said they
switched by advertising, 12% Switched for innovative footwear.

Q.Have You Bought any footwear influenced by any ways of

marketing or branding names?

Opinion No. of Respondents Percentage

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 Yes 84 84%

No 16 16%

Total 100 100%

Inference:

84% Respondents said that they were influenced by marketing or branding names.
16% said that they didn‘t influenced by them

Q.While buying do you consider environment friendliness in

footwear?

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Opinion No. of Respondents Percentage

Yes 75 75%

No 25 25%

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Inference:

75% Respondents said that they consider environment friendliness in footwear.

25% said that they didn‘t consider it.

Q.Do you know Nike is offering personalized or customized

footwear?

Opinion No. of Respondents Percentage

Yes 82 82%

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 No 18 18%

Inference:

82% Respondents said that they know Nike is offering personalized or customized
footwear. 18% said that they don‘t know of them.

Q.Have You bought any personalized or customized footwear?

Inference:

73% Respondents said that they bought personalized or customized footwear. 27%
said that they didn‘t buy them.

Brand No. of Respondents Percentage

Opinion No. of Respondents Percentage

Yes 73 73%

No 27 27%

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Nike 47 47%

Adidas 37 37%

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 Reebok 5 5%

Puma 9 9%

Others 2 2%

Total 100 100%

Inference:

When the Respondents were asked about their preference for a customized
footwear, 47% said that they prefer Nike, 37% Preferred Adidas, 9% preferred
Puma, 5% preferred Reebok and 2% preferred other footwear brands.

Q.How do you come to know about the Nike products?

Option No. of Respondents Percentage

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25
 Advertisement 70 70%

Recommendation 16 16%

Self-exploration 14 14%

Total 100 100%

Inference:

70% Respondents said that they come to know about the Nike products through
advertisement, 16% by Recommendation, 14% know the Products by Self-exploration.

Q. On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate Nike footwear on the basis of

following Parameters? (1 being the worst and 5 being the best)

Price

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Rating No. of Respondents Percentage

1 3 3%

2 18 18%

3 53 53%

4 23 23%

5 3 3%

Total 100 100%

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 Design

Rating No. of Respondents Percentage

1 4 4%

2 16 16%

3 37 37%

4 37 37%

5 6 6%

Total 100 100%

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 Comfort

Rating No. of Respondents Percentage

1 2 2%

2 6 6%

3 29 29%

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 4 50 50%

5 13 13%

Total 100 100%

Packaging

Rating No. of Respondents Percentage

1 3 3%

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 2 31 31%

3 47 47%

4 17 17%

5 2 2%

Total 100 100%

Personality

Rating No. of Respondents Percentage

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 1 5 5%

2 22 22%

3 35 35%

4 31 31%

5 7 7%

Total 100 100%

Innovation

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Rating No. of Respondents Percentage

1 2 2%

2 29 29%

3 40 40%

4 23 23%

5 6 6%

Total 100 100%

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 Advertisement

Rating No. of Respondents Percentage

1 4 4%

2 6 6%

3 32 32%

35
 4 44 44%

5 14 14%

Total 100 100%

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 FINDINGS
• Majority of the Respondents are of the age group of 15-25 years.
• Most of the Respondents are Brand Conscious while purchasing
shoes.

• When the Respondents were asked about their preference, 48% said
that they prefer Nike, 31% Preferred Adidas, 13% preferred Puma,
4% preferred Reebok and 4% preferred other footwear brands.

• The deciding factors for buying shoes for the Respondents are mainly
brand, quality, price and comfort, whereas, packaging and personality
do not matter to Respondents.

• More than 46% Respondents are brand loyal to Nike. This means that
larger number of the people prefer Nike over other brands.

• More than 68% Respondents regularly shift to other brands of

footwear.

• Majority of the Respondents said that Nike products are of high

quality.

• Majority of the Respondents said that prices of Nike products are fair.
• More than 63% Respondents said that they are comfort with the Nike
products.

• 75% Respondents said that they consider environment friendliness in

footwear.

• More than half of the Respondents said that they know about Nike
products through advertisements.

Marketing Strategies followed by Nike:

Before going ahead with the marketing strategies of Nike first let’s understand
what exactly marketing strategies mean.

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● According to the American Marketing Association (AMA) Board of Directors,
Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating,
delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and
society at large.
● Dr. Philip Kotler defines marketing as “the science and art of exploring, creating, and
delivering value to satisfy the needs of a target market at a profit. Marketing identifies
unfulfilled needs and desires. It defines, measures, and quantifies the size of the
identified market and the profit potential. It pinpoints which segments the company is
capable of serving best and it designs and promotes the appropriate products and
services.”

● A marketing strategy is a process or model to allow a company or organization to focus limited

resources on the best opportunities to increase sales and thereby achieve sustainable competitive
advantage. Amarketingstrategyshould be centered on the key concept that customer satisfaction is
the main goal.

● A marketingstrategyis most effective when it is an integral component of corporate strategy,

defining how the organization will successfully engage customers, prospects, and competitors in
the market arena. Corporate strategies, corporate missions, and corporate goals. As the customer
constitutes the source of a company‘s revenue, marketing strategy is closely linked with sales. A
key component of marketing strategy is often to keep marketing in line with a company‘s
overarching mission statement.

● A marketing strategy can serve as the foundation of a marketing plan. A marketing plan contains a
set of specific actions required to successfully implement a marketing strategy. For example: ―Use
a low-cost product to attract consumers. Once our organization, via our low-cost product, has
established a relationship with consumers, our organization will sell additional, higher-margin
products and services that enhance the consumer‘s interaction with the low-cost product or
service.‖

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 ● A strategy consists of a well-thought-out series of tactics to make a marketing plan more effective.
Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental underpinning of marketing plans designed to fill
market needs and reach marketing objectives. Plans and objectives are generally tested for
measurable results. A marketing strategy often integrates an organization‘s marketing goals,
policies, and action sequences (tactics) into a cohesive whole. Similarly, the various strands of the
strategy, which might include advertising,
channel marketing, internet marketing, promotion, andpublicrelations,can be orchestrated.

● Nike’s Marketing Journey

An excellent business depends upon an excellent marketing strategy. Known for its great quality
athletic products, Nike is famous globally and holds a very large market share, close to half in the
US. However, being a celebrity brand does not come easy and you need to do a lot of marketing
and branding before you achieve the position of your customer‘s most favorite. The product plays
an important role and its quality determines the brand‘s popularity but things also depend upon the
success of the marketing strategy.

It is why the best-selling products and brands are those that are made and marketed well. If Nike
rules the market then the credit also goes to its great and well-differentiated marketing strategy.
Nike‘s marketing strategy has remained a subject of study. Starting from its
Swoosh logo to the famous ‗Just Do it Slogan‘, these are important factors differentiating it from
its competitors.

Digital Marketing Mix Followed by Nike

Before we go ahead let us first understand what is digital marketing mix, Digital marketing mix is the
same as a marketing mix it simply uses all the data like price, place, and promotion implementing of
marketing strategies to be done on digital platforms, implementation of marketing strategies on digital
platforms is known as Digital marketing.

It comprises SEO (Search engine optimization), SMM(Social Media Marketing) & SEM (Search
Engine Marketing), and also it includes Email marketing, influencer marketing, and many more.
Here, We‘ll discuss the marketing strategies followed by Nike to grow its business through digital platforms.

1. Social Media Marketing followed by Nike:

● For the fact that many customers of Nike are members of the social media
network, the brand knew that it had to connect with audiences via social media
channels and gain brand recognition as soon as possible.
● Take a look around Nike‘s social media profiles, you can easily see how
successful the brand has become. 138 million followers on Instagram and 8.3

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 million followers on Twitter (two most-followed active channels). If you go to
these two pages, you will see perfectly corresponding voices as well as actions
that Nike speaks and does.
● Tactics that employed in Nike‘s social media marketing strategy are:
1. Collab with high-profile people
2. Use user-generated content
3. Appear in customers’ conversations
4. Distribute storytelling across social media channels
● When you can sell the stories, values, and benefits, you might not need to be bothered
by the thought of competing with your competitors in terms of price. Just focus on
delivering values to your customers‘ life by using your products.

● Nike’s social media content type: User-generated content

● Nike women is a particular channel for women on Instagram. The channel holds women
empowerment content that inspires a healthy and sporty lifestyle. Following is a post on the
channel.

● If you have a chance to take a look at the post, you will see the message that Nike helps to
send over is clear and catchy: self-care. The two women on the videos shared their works and
ambition to revolutionize fitness through the community. Any ordinary woman who is
interested in self-care might possibly feel involved in the community and also, attracted to the
brand that shares the message.

● Feature collaborations with celebrities

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● Being a big brand in a multitude of industries, Nike has collaborated with many celebrities
and influencers. If scrolling through their social media account, you can come acrosshigh-
profile faces in the sports industry: Tiger Woods, Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, etc. each
of them is a notable individual and embraces distinct qualities.

● The way Nike features high-profile people on their social channel is storytelling, which is
mentioned above. Because every
well-known individual has their own story, the audiences can easily relate as well as reflect on
themselves.
● Join in customer’s social conversations
● Check out the following conversation on Twitter, when a customer mentioned Nike in his
post:

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 ● Nike has truly turned Twitter into a place to be heard from its customers. Customers can
have positive or negative conversations about the brand, however, Nike knows social media
conversations like those are one of the purest kinds of customers‘ conversations and
feedback.
● Social media platforms are one of the most low-cost buteffective tools for social hearing,
where the opinions are authentic and objective.
● The aforementioned are some of the Social media marketing strategies followed by the best-
selling shoe brand Nike.
● Now we‘ll further go with Nike‘s Influencer Marketing Strategy. 2.Influencer
Marketing Strategy Followed by Nike:

● What distinguishes Nike from other shoe brands is that it taps into the power of influencer
marketing the smart way.
● Nike‘s audience is versatile. It consists of rockers and rappers, artists and thinkers,
entrepreneurs, athletes, and other individuals
– and not just professionals, but regular people, too. So to speak to their target audience in the
same language, Nike‘s ad campaigns use a voice to which their consumers are likely to respond.
● Controversial Colin Kaepernick Ad Campaign

● Nike made Colin Kaepernick one of the faces of its ad campaigns. The ex-NFL
quarterback, best known for his quiet protest against police brutality towards
African Americans by kneeling during the National Anthem, posted an image of
himself with a quote and the #JustDoIt hashtag:

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● The results were amazing. Nike saw a 1,400% surge in social media activity and
earned $6 billion in sales. Although there were a lot of negative reactions (like
calls to boycott Nike products on social media), as the saying goes: all publicity
is good publicity.
● Women’s World Cup Sponsorship
● Back in July 2019, Nike turned the most-watched women‘s football match of all
time into a vast marketing opportunity. Although Adidas was the o cial sponsor
of the tournament, it was Nike who seemed to be everywhere.
● They sponsored 14 out of 24 teams so that more than half of all players were
wearing that mighty swoosh. And when the United States beat Netherlands 2-0

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 to retain the Women's World Cup title, Nike was ready: Just a few seconds after
the match ended, they released an ad celebrating the U.S. women‘s team.
● The results? Over 5.3 million views on the @nikewomen Instagram profile,
almost 5 million views on YouTube, and more than 22.5 million views and 97K
retweets on Twitter. And, yeah, jersey sales were 500% up in 2019 compared to
the 2015 World Cup.

● Partnerships with Athletes: Justin Gallegos and

Serena Williams
● Nike was born to inspire and motivate. That‘s what they did back in October
2018 when they signed a three-year contract with Justin Gallegos, the first-ever
pro athlete with cerebral palsy, thus getting lots of attention with users praising
the brand:

● https://youtu.be/Trrb-nG9XIs
● Half a year after that, they released Dream Crazier, a video narrated by Serena
Williams, an American tennis player who inspires women to not be afraid of
expressing emotions, mastering ―men-only‖ sports or being ―too good‖:
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Mc06cIrvXE

● Collaborations with Rap & Hip Hop

Musicians
● Rappers are the new athletes when it comes to Nike advertising. It all started
with the o cial Air Yeezy and Air Yeezy II sneaker collaboration between
Kanye West
(whose nickname is Yeezy) and Nike back in 2009 — the retailer's first full
collaboration with someone other than an athlete. Released in three colors, this
sought-after sneaker model reflects West‘s unique style:

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● Nike also put out a three-part Artist Series in which they collaborated with
N.E.R.D (Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo and Shay) and released their limited-
edition Dunk High ‗Pharrell‘ sneakers with a brain logo on the heel. (The other
two additions to the series were NYC grati artist ESPO and actress Halle Berry.)
They issued just 1,050 pairs of these sneakers (which now go for about $700!).

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● Now Travis Scott is on stage, too, with Nike Air Force 1 Low ‗Cactus Jack‘,
constructed of suede, canvas, and leather panels marked with abstract patterns:

● Nike also partners with up-and-coming rap musicians and other local
influencers, who all contribute greatly to Nike‘s brand awareness.

● Partnerships with Fashion Designers

● Combining sportswear with fashion, Nike develops products that become
worldwide trendsetters. And fashion is nothing without fashionistas. With that in
mind, Nike partners with such designers as Virgil Abloh and Tinker
Hatfield.
● Tinker Hatfield, one of the world's most renowned sneaker designers, joined
Nike 38 years ago and is now Nike's VP of Design and Special Projects. He has
designed many of Nike's classic sneakers, including the Air Jordan III-XV, the
Nike Air Max 1, and the Nike Air Safari, and the success of these shoes is
because he wasn't afraid of ―pushing the boundaries of technology and
contemporary sneaker design…. Without Hatfield and his
game-changing designs, Nike would likely be a very different company
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 today.‖
● Hatfield's newest design: the Nike React (2019):

● Another collaboration is between Nike and Virgil Abloh, an American fashion

designer, artist, and DJ who has been the artistic
director of Louis Vuitton's men's wear collection since 2018.
● He designed a collection for Nike called ―The Ten‖ in which he re-designed a
variety of the company's best-selling shoes. Highsnobiety readers voted Abloh's
Nike Air Jordan 1
―Chicago‖ design the best sneaker of 2017.

● Ensure easy, exciting, and hassle-free online purchasing

● ―Digital is fueling how we create the future of retail‖ - Nike CEO Jon Donahoe said.

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● According to CNBC, Nike‘s online sales have reached over 50% of total revenue, updated in Sep
2020. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the brand only projected the number would be 30% by
2023. It‘s clear that the crisis has pumped up the development of Nike‘s e-commerce strategy
significantly.
● How has Nike been guiding its customers through the online shopping experiences smoothly?
Analyzing Nike‘s e-commerce strategy, we have found out some effective tactics of this giant
brand.

1. Bold branded website design

● Nike has always put an emphasis on the imagery of their marketing strategy. Images often
show the bold, fearless side of the users when they use Nike products. The stunning visual is
shown on Nike‘s website as well, I mean, just look at the picture above.
● On all pages of the website, you can see stunning images of the products and models, leading
a vibrant lifestyle of an ―athlete‖. This strategy further implements Nike‘s branding image
into visitors‘ minds, leaving an impression of a sports brand that is unique and youthful.

2. Smart product recommendations

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 ● For eCommerce, a big part of the marketing strategy is the buying experience. If an
eCommerce business can provide an excellent shopping experience, consumers will
naturally recommend the brand to other shoppers.
● For Nike, it is the smart product recommendations that make a consumer satisfied with
their experience. Like in the picture above, Nike‘s website would automatically
recommend relevant products to the product that the visitor is viewing.
● I was viewing a pair of running shoes for women, so the recommended products also have
the same style and similar colors to the one I clicked on.

3. Useful, logical, and detailed product filtering

● Another feature that improves the eCommerce shopping experience of the website is the
product filter. As the image above suggests, consumers can sort products by many aspects,
such as size, brand, type, suitable weather, icon, material, technology, height, width, and
more.
● As a global powerhouse in athletic footwear and apparel, Nike knows their consumers are
picky about what their products can do. You can apply this feature to your eCommerce
website as well with an app and keep visitors on your site for longer.

4. Loyalty program
● In 2017, Nike‘s loyalty program had 100+ million members who spent almost three
times more than guest buyers on the website. With that information, Nike has
constantly improved its rewards program, fine-tuning it into one of the best loyalty
programs in eCommerce.
● The Nike loyalty program is a club where Nike customers or fans can receive
exclusive benefits. Shoppers become a member by signing up through the Nike
website or any of their apps; the Nike app, Nike Training Club, Nike Run Club, and
SNKRS.
● The benefits of the loyalty program include exclusive products, priority access to
tickets to sporting events, early access to product launches, rewards for being active

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 through their apps, expert advice on training and exercise, special offers on birthdays,
and, even better, free delivery.
● When members use the apps, their engagement score is reflected in the main Nike
rewards app. Customers can then scan the app in Nike stores and at Nike events to earn
rewards while they attend.

SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSION

Problems in the Company
● Poor Labor Conditions: The company is known to have poor working environments
throughout o ces in Globe. Time and again, the company has been targeted with issues relating
to the working conditions which demotivate its employees and make them feel unsafe, in the
unhealthy working environments.
● The Unequal Pays: Astonishing to know, but companies like Nike still practice toxic work
culture when it comes to paying men and women equally. Many women have been noticed to
voice against the unequal pay culture of Nike at different regional o ces of the globe.
● Strong Hold of Failures: With the fact that retailers are the biggest buyers of Nike, they hold a
strong part in deciding the consumer price of the Nike products. The Nike SWOT analysis has
enlightened the fact that as huge as 60-70% of the company‘s stock are directly sold to the
retailers, which weakens the company‘s say in the price deciding strategies of the products.
Sexual Harrasments: A devastating fact of sexual harassment of women at Nike work
environments has shaken the world and has strictly worked against the image of the company.
Many women employees have taken it to the global platforms and have brought into notice the
situation of the women employees at Nike. Even many pointed out that there was no ear to their
complaints and the only option left with them was to leave the job.

Suggestions for the Company:

● Improvement of Work environments:The biggest area of opportunity for any company is to
work upon its weaknesses. The biggest weakness found is the poor working conditions for the
employees of Nike. Therefore, the company should take it as a priority and work upon the
improvement of the working conditions at its different o ces across the world. Also, it should
be the priority of every company to serve its internal public, therefore Nike should work towards
making its internal public, the employees happy and then focus on producing innovative
products for its external public, the consumers.
● Equalize The Pay & Remove disparities:The organization should not only focus on producing
profits in the Nike annual reports but should also focus on gaining ‗A grades‘ in its internal
report cards. It should ensure that equal pay scale is provided to employees irrespective of their
sex, caste or color. Moreover, there should be strict laws made against the sexual harassment of
women employees and the women power should be allowed to voice their opinion in the
company.

Nike needs to realize that happy employees can produce happy clients, a methodology
adopted by which the company can continue to outgrow its competition at every stage.

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 Conclusion
● Nike has managed to achieve an optimal market position in the global sports apparel and footwear
industry. Its success has arisen from its adoption of effective strategic management practices,
which are aimed at maximizing the shareholders‘ wealth and fostering a high level of customer
satisfaction. One of the strategic management practices that the firm has considered in its operation
entails effective brand management.
● The firm is committed to positioning itself as one of the widely recognized brands in the sports
apparel, footwear, and equipment market in order to maximize the shareholders‘ wealth.
● However, the likelihood of achieving this goal will depend on the firm‘s commitment to
implementing effective strategies that it should consider include investing in market expansion,
product differentiation, and e-commerce.
● One of the ways through which the firm can achieve this goal is by investing in effective product
differentiation.
● One of the ways through which the firm can achieve this goal is by investing in effective product
research and design. Additionally, it should invest in emerging web-based technologies such as e-
commerce to exploit the emerging consumer trends. By
leveraging technology, Nike will be able to enhance its competitive advantage by developing a strong
relationship with its customers.
● Any organization that wishes to remain on top of competition should devise strategies that will
drive it towards realizing this objective. One of the strategies is coming up with a team of experts
whose role is to steer the organization‘s marketing plan. As such, Nike should set aside a
management team to carry out this task. Nike‘s selected team should be undertaken geographical
evaluation will enable it to formulate strategies that are specific to the respective markets, hence
improving their effectiveness.
● Based on the expositions made in the paper, it is clear that Nike has made significant strides since
its inception. However, based on the evident competition from the emerging companies in addition
to the changing customer demand and preference, the firm has to formulate techniques that will
sustain its performance in the market.

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 Limitation of the study
● The time period of the study was limited.
● The limited number of respondents.
● The coverage of this report is limited to Indore.
● The data obtained in some cases may be biased.
● The busy schedule of respondents makes the collection of information a di cult one.
● Many of the respondents were not willing to fill the questionnaire.
● Since the data is collected by convenience sampling method, it does not disclose the character of
entire customers.

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 REFERENCES

1. Nike‘s o cial websitehttps://www.nike.com/in/

2. Nike‘s News websitehttps://news.nike.com/

3. Wikipedia (Nike)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike,_Inc.

4. Nike‘s O cialYoutube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/user/nike

5. For Nike‘s Digital Marketing Campaignhttps://digitalagencynetwork.com/nike-digital-

marketing-strategy/

6. Literature Of Reviewhttps://www.ukessays.com/essays/marketing/strategic-marketing-
analysis-of-nike.php
7. Inspirational Marketing campaigns by Nikehttps://www.marketingmind.in/5-most-
inspirational-ad-ca
mpaigns-by-nike-with-powerful-messag

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